Infant-At-Work Policy Approved at Emotional Special Town Meeting

The Whitehall Town Council held a special meeting at 11 AM on Monday, April 29th, to finalize the proposed Infant-at-Work Policy submitted for approval in March.

Before the discussion began, councilman Roy McBride called a point of order and made the motion to adjourn the meeting and move it to an evening time, as the agenda did not have “Approval of Agenda Items” as an action item. However, after conferring via phone with town attorney Ed Guza, Town Clerk Kennedy Kleinsasser said that the agenda was adequate to Guza’s knowledge, and the meeting could proceed.

Job descriptions for each employee needed to be presented and finalized before the Infant-at-Work policy could be approved or denied.

The Council was requested to split the Clerk/Treasurer position into two separate job descriptions, as employees Kleinsasser and Tiffany McCue requested. However, McBride noted that he wasn’t willing to split the positions, as there would be no supervisor if the positions were portioned out. However, councilman Bill Lanes and Councilwoman Linda Jung stated they favored splitting the position.

Jung stated that if the positions were not split, then someone else needed to take on the flood zone work, as it was too much for both a Clerk and a treasurer to handle on their own. A motion was made and approved to have Jeremy Fadness, an engineer with Triple Tree already under contract, handle the flood zone work. The motion to split the Clerk/Treasurer position was denied upon a final vote.

An up-to-six-month position of Utility Clerk was created, which was needed to continue everyday processes when Kleinsasser and McCue were on maternity leave. It was stated that the position would come and go as needed. The position will be posted soon, as the employee needs to be trained before anyone goes out on maternity leave.

While a discussion of a remote work agreement between the Town of Whitehall and Kleinsasser was on the agenda, Kleinsasser stated that the action item was now obsolete since the Clerk/Treasurer position was not split. Councilwoman Pat Petersen said that she did not want the Clerk/Treasurer position to ever be a full-time remote position, as someone needed to be on site to handle everyday situations.

The discussion of positing the Clerk/Treasurer position brought much emotion, both from Kleinsasser and the audience. Because the Clerk/Treasurer position was not split and the request for a remote work agreement was denied, it seemed Kleinsasser could not/would not retain her position due to the decisions made. Kleinsasser excused herself from the meeting as she became emotional. Several in attendance questioned her departure.

“The decisions being made here have ramifications,” councilman Shawn Hoagland said. He noted that the decisions just made meant Kleinsasser could not work in the Town, as there was no support for her working remotely.

Discussion on the Infant-at-Work policy was had, with several audience members, including Nancy Edsall and Connie Hamilton voicing their disapproval. Whitehall resident Tim Schober voiced his approval and disappointment in how the policy had been regarded by the audience and vocal members of the town.

“I am disappointed in the response from our town. We are moving away from the village that we should be. It takes a village to raise a child. I am disappointed in the town residents who don’t think the council can make decisions in our best interest. The childcare atmosphere has changed. By not allowing flexibility, you will be starting at zero once again,” Schober said. Maxine Samuelson, who has been vocal about how much she disapproves of the policy, said that she had started to have a change of heart.

In the end, the policy was passed. McBride stated, “This is not a new policy idea; we are not inventing the wheel here, just smoothing out the edges.”